Tuesday, March 30, 2010

BRIDE & GROOM CLASS WITH SILVINA BARBOZA




One of the challenges I face as a cake artist is modelling human figures out of sugarpaste and when I saw this class on figure sculpting, I immediately signed up to take the class. I was very excited to attend the figure sculpting class since it has always been a challenge for me to make animals and human figures (babies, bride and groom, pregnant women, etc....) Honestly, I'd rather stick to making sugar flowers which have specific instructions and special cutters which I can utilize. Sugar flowers have become my specialty so I have a natural bias for them but as an artist, I always want to improve and learn something new. Making human/animal figures are so time-consuming and there are no set guidelines in making them. If patience is not your virtue, stick to the flowers :-D
The class was taught by Silvina Barboza, a cake artist who specializes in figure sculpting and modelling. She taught us the basics of constructing a human body and head out of rice krispy treats, which was a better medium to use than fondant. The class was very challenging but fun at the same time. It was difficult and we didn't have enough time to finish both the bride and groom. Overall, I enjoyed this class but I think I'll stick to my first love, sugar flowers!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

SUGAR COOKIE TUTORIAL (PART 1)








For the past weeks, I was busy baking, experimenting and decorating sugar cookies for my upcoming project in April. I researched different recipes and found this one recipe from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion book to be the most delicious. To guide you through the preparation and baking, I took some shots out of my home kitchen. Hope you'll try them out! Happy Baking!

King Arthur's Special Roll-Out Sugar Cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream or sour cream
3 Tbsps. cornstarch
3 cups all-purpose flour
    Procedure:
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla and almond extract until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add half the cream, all of the cornstarch, and half of the flour; beat well. Add the remaining cream and flour, mixing until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

  • Divide the dough in half, flatten into rounds and wrap well. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more, to facilitate rolling.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F.

  • Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly work surface and place a piece of plastic wrap over it while you roll it out to keep the dough from sticking. Roll the dough into 1/8 to 1/4" thick and cut it into shapes of your choice.

  • Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until they're set but not browned. Let cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Monday, March 15, 2010

JUNGLE THEME BIRTHDAY CAKE




This jungle theme birthday cake was created for Layla, a 3 month old baby. The proud mother, Ann, requested for a bright colored cake so I came up with lime green and bright pink hues. I was very excited to make this cake which led me to develop several animals in party hats, which included an elephant and monkey sitting side-by-side on top of the cake.

Monday, March 1, 2010

GARDEN BIRTHDAY CAKE




I created this cake for a client who wanted something dainty and simple. The cake was made of moist chocolate layers filled with vanilla buttercream and decorated with hand-sculpted roses and butterflies.
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